- Opening Paragraph/Thesis Statement: The opening paragraph or section should tell the reader exactly what your post or paper is about, i.e. the argument you will offer in the paper. Your paper’s argument should not be a mystery; the reader should not have to be a detective in order to locate your thesis and determine your argument. Therefore, part of your opening paragraph, usually the final sentence, should be a thesis statement. The thesis statement is a broad statement that introduces your paper’s argument and foreshadows the basic structure of your paper. All subsequent parts of the paper will be directed toward proving the thesis statement.
- Paper Structure: Construct your paper so that it consistently works to prove your thesis. Your paper should be governed by a logical flow, in which you build your argument over the course of the paper. Divide your paper so that you discuss one theme, topic, text, character etc, before moving on to the next. I would strongly advise that you create an outline first before you start writing.
- Topic Sentences: Each paragraph in your paper should begin with a concrete sentence stating its subject. All further content in the paragraph must be limited to that which is relevant to the topic sentence. Anything not pertaining to the topic sentence must either be deleted or used in another paragraph. In other words, each paragraph in your paper should be focused on one idea. (If a paragraph takes up a full page, it’s probably not focused enough and should be divided.)
- Specific Support: Once you have written your topic sentence, the rest of a paragraph should be composed of specific support. Such support is the evidence you marshal in order to prove your argument. Make sure that you divide your paper so that you exhaust all your material about one text, one theme, or one character before moving on.
For your sources, you may use short citations, i.e. (Author, p. 1). If we have read multiple texts by an author, then: (Author, Title, p.1). If you choose to cite something not on the syllabus, then refer to the Chicago Manual of Style (or other similar style guide) for correct citation methods. You may also use footnotes if you prefer. NOTE: Do not directly cite too frequently! That is, use your own words unless the author/source states it particularly well.
- Concluding Paragraph/Section: this paragraph(s) should bring your argument to a coherent conclusion. You should be sure that by the time you write your conclusion you have successfully proved what you said you were going to do in your introduction/thesis.
- Hint: Academic writing is not like creative writing, it has rules. One of the most important rules is that your paper should flow logically. This flow is initiated by your thesis statement and sustained by your paper’s structure. In fact, a great exercise is to begin your process of writing by first crafting your thesis, next writing the topic sentences for each subsequent paragraph, then listing each paragraph’s specific support underneath your topic sentences, and finishing by writing a few concluding sentences. This way, you create an outline or roadmap of your paper’s argument and can determine before you spend hours floundering about trying to determine what exactly you intend to argue and how.
- Generalizing: Avoid making broad generalizations with no support. If you make a statement about a text, character, motif, culture, or element of human existence, you must back it up with evidence!
- So What?: Why should someone read your paper? Both in your introductory and summary sections you must validate your argument. It is not enough to say that some things or the same or that some things are different. Try to draw meaning from your observations. Tell the reader why your argument is interesting, surprising, or disconcerting.
- Common Grammatical Mistakes:
- Past Tense: Use past tense when writing about history, i.e. “Lenin’s writing stirred the intelligentsia’s revolutionary feelings.” “Napoleon marched across the Alps in order to conquer Italy.”
- But: Use present tense to refer to a historian or scholar who is writing about history: “Kishlansky writes that Robespierre used the guillotine freely.”
- Active Voice: Try to use active voice in your writing as much as possible. To accomplish this, avoid using “to be” verbs whenever possible (was, were, has been, is, etc.). Every time you use a “to be” verb substitute it with an active verb. This will make your writing much more exciting for its reader. For example: “Stalin condemned millions to labor camps” instead of: “Millions were condemned to labor camps by Stalin.” Or: “The workers formed a trade union” instead of: “A trade union was formed by the workers.”
- First Person: In general, do not use first person in your papers. Avoid We, Us, One, One’s. The only time it is appropriate to use first person is when you are clearly stating your personal opinion/conclusion.
- Contractions: Do not use contractions in academic writing. Don’t=do not; wasn’t=was not etc.
- Run-on sentences: one thought, one sentence. Check all long sentences to make sure that there are no extra thoughts or dangling clauses.
- Its vs. it’s: my personal pet peeve. “Its” is possessive, like his or her. “It’s” is the contraction of “it is.” Please do not make this mistake. I beg you.
- Miscellaneous (for the first main paper)
- Please number your pages. Your title page is not page 1.
- Use 11 or 12-point type and double-space your pages.
- Please have a title page with the title and your name; the title should only be here.
- A “Works Cited” page is required; follow any standard format.
(Many thanks to colleagues over the years for their contributions and input to these guidelines.)